Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
December 31 , 2005

Morocco-US: FTA beneficial for both parties, minister
Morocco : Win-win situation in Morocco-US FTA, says Mezouar
Morocco among first countries to register projects in CDM
Morocco: 'Hidden' Child Workers Face Abuse Girls Working as Domestics Denied Basic Rights.
Up to 54,000 new cancer cases are documented yearly in Morocco.
ICT: Government publishes document on 'e-Maroc' strategy.
Investigation: Over 91 % of illiterate women lack information on Family code.
Social work: Government to prepare action plan in favour of street children.
30% of Moroccan children under 5 suffer from Anemia.
Morocco town's Hollywood connection.
Morocco is a Hollywood Set

Morocco-US: FTA beneficial for both parties, minister

The free trade agreement concluded between Morocco and the US is a deal beneficial for both parties, but for which Morocco should be well equipped, said Salah Eddine Mezouar, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Economy Upgrading. In an interview with the Moroccan daily l'Economiste, Mezouar said "the American market is an open market where we should find a place ... but we are not really ready."

The minister stressed Morocco's strategic geographical position which, he believed, should be highly valued and promoted, in the perspective of a globalised economy. In this respect, Mezouar underlined that Morocco has a clear vision as to the sectors to be developed. "This vision manifests itself in the projects launched currently in the country, be they in industry, housing or tourism," he said, admitting that adaptation to the American market is a necessity.

The minister underlined that, for this very reason, a number of Moroccan officials and professionals had paid a visit to the United States to identify the potentials that this market offers and establish contact with American firms and potential clients. The sectors targeted, he added, were mainly cars manufacturing, textile, leather, shoes and agro-alimentary industries.

On Thursday, the White House announced that US President George W. Bush signed an order to start the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement with Morocco on January 1. The White House said "Morocco is a close friend and ally of the United States, and this (agreement) sends a powerful signal that the United States is firmly committed to supporting tolerant and open Muslim societies."

Earlier, the French-American expert in international finance and economics, Christophe Aubin-Nury, de Malicorne said that Morocco will be the country to benefit the most from the Free Trade Agreement. During a conference held in September at the association of young social sciences researchers, de Malicorne said "Morocco has shown its leadership capacities and its determination to promote its economic development." He also underlined that the FTA will be "a vector of prosperity and hope for the coming generations."

Morocco signed the FTA with the US on June 15, 2004, after seven rounds of bilateral negotiations that lasted 13 months.

Under terms of the pact, tariffs on 95% of all bilateral trade between the United States and Morocco will be eliminated. The remaining tariffs on these goods, mainly agricultural products from both countries, will be eliminated within the next nine years. The agreement also includes stringent measures to protect intellectual property and the environment.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=5&id=11781 
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Morocco : Win-win situation in Morocco-US FTA, says Mezouar
December 29, 2005

The Free Trade Agreement between Morocco and the US is profitable for both sides, but Morocco should be prepared to capture the open market of America, said Salah Eddine Mezouar, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Economy Upgrading. Considering the globalised economy, strategic geographical position of Morocco should be highly valued and promoted, said the minister. In this regard, many officials and professional from Morocco visited the US to explore potential market and establish communication with American companies and clients. Cars manufacturing, textile, leather, shoes and agro-alimentary industries are the sectors are targeted, said Mezouar.

US President George W. Bush signed an order to implement the Free Trade Agreement with Morocco on January 1, the White House announced. He also stressed the FTA would bring prosperity and hope for the next generations. After seven rounds of bilateral talks lasted 13 months, Morocco signed the FTA with the US on June 15, 2004. Under this agreement, tariffs on 95 percent of all bilateral trade between the United States and Morocco will be eliminated. The remaining tariffs on these goods, mainly agricultural products from both countries, will be eliminated within the next nine years.
http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=10329 
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Morocco among first countries to register projects in CDM
By Morad Aziz

Morocco is among the first countries to have registered projects within the framework of a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), in collaboration with the UN council in charge of this system, said, on Tuesday in Rabat, Minister of Territory Development, Water and Environment Mohamed El Yazghi. "We have registered two projects, one of which is the wind park on the site of Tétouan new cement works. It is the first African, Arab and Francophone CDM project. The other one also concerns the wind park in Essaouira, and is financed by the National Office of Electricity (ONE)," explained the Minister who was taking part in the opening of the "Forum CDM Morocco 2005, realisations and perspectives." He added that Morocco has an important portfolio of projects being elaborated in other sectors where the contribution of the CDM would be desirable, such as waste management.

Therefore, he said, a national strategy has been organised in collaboration with the UN Development Programme (PNUD) and the UN Environment Programme (PNUE). This was combined with the creation of operational structures of management and the elaboration of clear and transparent procedures of approval, measures that will be accompanied by a national expertise that must serve as a platform for the economic operators. The reinforcement of national capacities is the basic element which will enable advance in the protection of environment and sustainable development in the Kingdom, he noted. "We have looked for the support of various international bodies to develop and put projects in this field," said the Minister, underlining that the project "Reinforcement of the CDM capacities," launched in 2003 by the ministry with the cooperation of the PNUD and the PNUE, is part of this initiative.

For his part, the representative of the PNUD in Rabat, Emmanuel Dierckx De Casterlé, said that the PNUD/PNUE project of reinforcement of the CDM capacities (20032/005) enabled Morocco "to achieve a significant and irreversible progress in this field with concrete actions that will strengthen the development policy of the Kingdom." This project, he said, constitutes a real model, given the problems with which it deals and the challenges it represents for developing countries in the field of clean development and the transfer of technology, and the impressive results which make of Morocco one of the most attractive developing countries for the investors in CDM. De Casterlé expressed the PNUD's satisfaction with the results of this project and its determination to help Morocco proceed in this policy concerning climate change.

The "Forum CDM Morocco 2005" crowns three years of fruitful actions of the project of reinforcing the capacities for clean development mechanism for Morocco, undertaken in collaboration with the PNUD and the PNUE. It is also held after the conference of Montreal (Nov. 28- Dec. 9) on climate change and the CDM. Several talks will be presented in this forum by national and foreign experts. They will discuss in particular "the financial mechanisms to promote sustainable development in Morocco", "the Francophone initiative of partnership for the CDM" and "the European market of the quotas of emission and CDM."

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), as described in article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol and elaborated in the Agreements of Marrakech, is based on the implementation of projects which enable public or private enterprises to invest in activities which reduce gas emissions in the developing countries and acquire credits in return. These credits can then be used by the parties to reduce their own emissions or sell them in the open market.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/Paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=11660 
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Morocco: 'Hidden' Child Workers Face Abuse Girls Working as Domestics Denied Basic Rights.

Tens of thousands of girls working as domestics in Morocco face physical and psychological abuse as well as economic exploitation, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today (available online at:<http://hrw-news.c.topica.com/maaeku5abmZ40bo8833b/> ). Moroccan law denies these children basic labor rights, and the authorities rarely punish employers who abuse them. The 60-page report, "Inside the Home, Outside the Law: Abuse of Child Domestic Workers in Morocco," documents cases of girls as young as five working 100 or more hours per week, without rest breaks or days off, for as little as six and a half Moroccan dirhams (about 70 U.S. cents) a day.

Current and former child domestics describe frequent physical and verbal abuse, denial of education and of adequate food and medical care, and sexual harassment by employers or their relatives. Some domestics said that employers forced them to work against their will by beating them, locking them indoors, or refusing to pay those who wanted to quit. "There is a myth that these girls are improving themselves by working," said Clarisa Bencomo, children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The reality is that far too many girls end up suffering lasting physical and psychological harm." Young and often illiterate, child domestics frequently lack the skills and the opportunities to seek help in leaving abusive workplaces. Hidden away in private homes, most do not attend school, rarely go out except for brief errands, and have only infrequent contact with their families.

Some girls are brave enough or desperate enough to risk running away. But many more put up with abuse because they lack money and knowledge about how to return home, fear employers' threats of violence or denunciation to police, or fear getting lost or attacked if they try to make it home on their own. Morocco's Labor Code does not regulate domestic work, and labor inspectors are not authorized to enter private homes to investigate violations of the legal ban on employment of children under 15. Police, prosecutors, and judges rarely enforce Penal Code protections against abuse in cases involving child domestics. Government child protection programs rarely prioritize child domestic labor, are poorly coordinated and lack sufficient funds for implementation.

Few programs actively remove children from the worst forms of child labor, including domestic labor, and those that do exist have been largely pilot programs with limited scope and success. Human Rights Watch called on the Moroccan government to enforce the legal minimum age of 15 for all child workers, ensure domestic workers the same rights as other workers, eliminate the worst forms of child domestic labor, and sanction employers and labor recruiters who abuse children.

Select testimonies from child domestics quoted in the report: If something happened-if I broke something or did something badly-they would beat me with a shoe or a belt on any part of my body. I couldn't leave the house-they would lock the door when they left... Both the husband and the wife hit me. My family saw me twice in the year that I worked. They came to visit me at the house but the employer sat with us during the visit and told me not to say anything bad or she would beat me more. When my mother came the last time to visit I told her I wouldn't stay at that house anymore. I said, "Either I go with you or I will run away or kill myself." -Rasha A., 14, describing her first job, at age ten

If something broke, like dishes or a glass, they would tell me they would take the money out of my pay and they beat me. They used an electric cord... Both the husband and the wife were mean to me. The husband would complain if I didn't wash the clothes well or didn't bring the breakfast fast enough. He used bad language too. -Najat Z., 11, describing a recent job

[My employer] was a [government] employee with a husband and a four-year-old and a one-and-a-half-year-old child. They knew I had no place to go and they said, "Consider us to be like your parents."They asked me what I wanted for a salary and I didn't know what to say so she said 200 dirham per month [about U.S.$22]. I had to take the girl to the nursery and watch the smaller child and do all the housework-cooking, hand washing clothes, cleaning the whole house. -Shadia A., describing her second job, at 15

Related Material Inside the Home, Outside the Law: Abuse of Child Domestic Workers in Morocco Report, December 21, 2005 <http://hrw-news.c.topica.com/maaeku5abmZ40bo8833b/> 
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Up to 54,000 new cancer cases are documented yearly in Morocco.
Rabat, Dec. 28

Between 30,000 and 54,000 new cases of cancer are documented each year in Morocco, affirmed, Wednesday Heath Minister, Mohamed Biadillah.
Speaking at a question time in the House of Representatives, the minister said the prevalence ranges between 150 to 180 cases for 100,000 inhabitants. He affirmed that, to alleviate the pressure on the oncology centers, the ministry has set up regional centers in Oujda (east), already operational, and Agadir (southwest), due to open soon. The ministry has also planned the creation of similar centers northwest and north of the kingdom, in addition to a pediatric oncology center in Rabat. The ministry is also sketching an information and awareness-raising program for citizens on the ways to protect themselves from this illness.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/up_to_54000_new_can/view 
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ICT: Government publishes document on 'e-Maroc' strategy.

The Ministry-Delegate in charge of General and Economic Affairs has published the first document on 'e-Maroc' (e-Morocco) strategy, which is part of a communication package aiming to give a clear vision on the future objectives and perspectives of the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Morocco. The package, composed of a CD-ROM and six booklets, contains information about the five axes of 'e-Maroc' strategy. It includes "e-government: ICT for good governance"; "ICT and Enterprises: ICT for competitiveness"; "ICT
Industry: potentials and perspectives"; "Digital Public Space: ICT Vector of democratisation".

The document, which will be continuously updated to reflect the evolution of the different programmes of this strategy, also includes a leaflet entitled: "e-Morocco: knowledge economy on the move".

The leaflet provides details on the assets that make Morocco a platform for the production and exportation of ICT. It explains the expansion of the telecoms sector, the great development of offshoring, and the rise of the ICT industry. The document presents the 'e-Maroc 2010' vision as the fruit of a national dialogue and a broad collaboration between all the actors concerned with the development of knowledge economy in the Kingdom.

Set up within the framework of a partnership between the government and the private sector, 'e-Maroc 2010' constitutes a true road map for the development of ICT in Morocco. This strategy, first introduced in 1994 by, then, the Secretariat of State of Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology, aims at bridging the digital divide and finding a position for Morocco at the international level. The development of ICT in Morocco has gained increasing importance as both the public and private sector have realised its importance in building a strong economic infrastructure.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/Paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=11832 
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Investigation: Over 91 % of illiterate women lack information on Family code.
12/28/2005

A recent study has shown that 91% of illiterate women in Morocco have no information about the provisions of the new Family Code.
The study, conducted by Kamal Mellakh, a sociology professor in Mohammedia's Hassan II University, also revealed that among analphabet men, 80% totally lack information about the Code, reported MAP news agency. Mellakh presented the results of his study Tuesday in a conference held in Kenitra on the fringes of a day of study discussing the new Family Code.

The professor added that only 8% of the interviewed people are aware of the changes brought by the new Family Code concerning the laws regulating marriage and divorce. The lowest rates were those of information regarding polygamy, child custody, and alimony, with 3%, 2%, and 1% respectively.

The study was based on the answers provided by 900 people from 18 cities of four Moroccan regions, namely those of Marrakech-Tansift-Al Haouz, Fes-Boulmane, Tangier-Tetouan, and the Eastern region. According to the investigation, this lack of information is due to considerable gaps at the level of communication and awareness raising concerning the new legislation, which gave way to the spread of wrong information.

Held under the theme "two years after the entry into force of the Family Code," the day of study was organised by the Chaml Association for the Family and Women, in cooperation with Kenitra's Ibn Toufail University. The Family Code, also called Mudawana, was unanimously adopted by the Parliament's House of Advisors on Jan. 23, 2004, after it had been earlier adopted by the House of Representatives. Before it was reformed, the previous Family Code gave control over the family to the man and stipulated that the woman's main duty was to obey her husband.

In March 1999, former State Secretary for Family Affairs, Saïd Saidi, introduced a bill known as the "National Action Plan for Integrating Women in Development." This bill aimed at asserting some basic rights for women against discrimination and abuse. The new Family Code came to establish equality between men and women, on the basis of the teachings of Islam.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=11809 
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Social work: Government to prepare action plan in favour of street children.
12/28/2005

The government's strategy for fighting the phenomenon of street children is based on judicial, social and educational axes, underlined Yasmina Baddou, Secretary of State to the Minister of Social Development, Family, and solidarity. The first axis relates to a national plan of action for street children, the elaboration of which had been the subject of a broad debate among the different actors in this humanitarian field, Baddou said, responding to an oral question in the House of Advisors. She pointed out that the plan gives enormous importance to street children, as this category of the Moroccan society is the most susceptible to various forms of deprivation, exploitation and delinquency.

The second axis, she said, pertains to the national programme "Idmaj" (integration), launched in partnership with the competent sectors, local collectivities, and associations working in this field. The aim of this programme is to ensure the reintegration of these children in society, adopting an integrative approach to mobilise all the actors active in this domain, the secretary of state underlined. This axis also intends to limit the seriousness of the street children phenomenon, particularly in big cities, and integrate them in families. It also aims to establish partnerships with the national association working in humanitarian field, by reinforcing their capacities in terms of supervision and management.

Earlier, the secretariat of State had signed some 370 agreements with many associations active in the social field. The agreements concern social projects, worth MAD 27 million. Baddou said that in the first phase, the programme will target Casablanca, Rabat, Salé, Mohammedia, Tanger, Tétouan and Marrakech. She also stressed that the third axis revolves around a pilot project, the first of its kind, to create a mobile service for urgent social requirements. The secretary of state concluded that the project, which will be operational in May 2006, will provide primary requirements and first aid to people in difficult situation, targeting mainly street children.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=11797 
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30% of Moroccan children under 5 suffer from Anemia.

About 30% of Moroccan children under the age of 5 years suffer from anemia, revealed on Wednesday UNICEF Representative in Morocco, Maie Ayyoub. Speaking at the presentation of the 2006 report on the situation of children in the world, Ayyoub said that 300,000 babies suffer from iodine deficiency, notably due to malnutrition and shortage of drinking water. She observed that 7% of Moroccan children under the age of 11 (250,000) are unschooled and 10% (60,000) are not vaccinated.

State Secretary in charge of Family, Children and Disabled, Yasmina Baddou noted that the government has set up an action plan to fight AIDS, promote a qualitative education and protect children against all forms of exploitation and violence. The government has also launched a project to build child protection units to follow up children who are victims of violence and exploitation, she declared. The project, baptised SAMU Social, also includes judicial, listening, diagnosis and integration services.

Two pilot units will be operational starting early 2006 in Casablanca and Marrakech, targeting for the first six months children under 18 and girls under 25 living in the streets. The first project, worth USD 525,000, will allow poeple living on the streets to benefit from free and professional medical, psychological and preventive care.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=11583 
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Morocco town's Hollywood connection.
Tuesday 27 December 2005

More than half of the 50,000 residents of Ouarzazate, a desert town in a valley at the foot of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, rely for jobs on the film industry in one form or another. They get jobs as extras or stuntmen, or for work behind the camera as technicians, sound engineers or set decorators.

Mbarka Jakanbaka has been in so many Hollywood films over the past 20 years that she cannot remember most of them.
She has only seen a couple on the big screen, but does not even know the name of the last one she appeared in, dressed in the elaborate costume of an ancient Egyptian. "I was in the film for 15 days. It was about religion. My son knows the name," said Jakanbaka, 46, sitting with legs outstretched on the floor of her dark, cramped living room.

Exotic location
Morocco has long attracted Hollywood and European filmmakers for its varied landscapes, and Ouarzazate is a picture-perfect exotic location.
Jakanbaka; her husband, Mohammed Raoui, 56; their three sons, Azzedine 26, Hicham, 24 and Rachid, 12, as well as their two daughters, Hana and Amal, all have appeared in Western films as extras.

The city's Kasbah, with its red and brown mud houses and unpaved narrow streets, is home to most of the Ouarzazate extras. It has also attracted many film-makers as a location for big-budget films, including the 2000 Rules of Engagement and last year's Kingdom of Heaven.
But when there is no shooting, the inhabitants of the Kasbah carry on living in their homes of small narrow rooms and corridors. The town's only cinema shut down about five years ago because of lack of business.

People in the city are grateful to the foreign film industry, even though pay is as little as $15 a day. Those with experience get more, $24 a day or as much as $60. However, inexperienced European and African extras get about $40 a day for films shot in Morocco and that has led to complaints of discrimination by some Ouarzazate residents. Still, the money is not bad considering that the average salary in Ouarzazate is about $6 a day. Kingdom of Heaven, a $180 million production, provided eight months of work for 2800 people.

"When the cinema comes to Ouarzazate, we are happy," said Jakanbaka's son, Azzedine Raoui, who has appeared in films since he was seven.
"But we are still poor," he said, as he showed off a stack of photos of himself and other members of his family in various films. When there is no film work, he said, he deliberately remains unemployed lest he should miss an opportunity if a film comes to town.

Cinema money
During dry spells, Raoui's mother sells sandwiches in the local market or makes embroidery for sale. But the money from cinema enables her to buy good food, she said.

Film industry officials point to the benefits film-making has brought the town. "Obviously, the movie industry is what keeps this town alive," said Robert Halmi Sr, president of Hallmark Entertainment and executive producer of The Ten Commandments, which was partly shot in Ouarzazate. "It's very, very expensive for us to do a television movie on this scale," said Robert Dornhelm, the director of the big-budget four-hour ABC miniseries. "Of course, we have to come to places where you still can recreate this and have the labour and extras that you can afford," he said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FB9A3F73-6142-47C9-96BC-753EF1837FD1.htm  
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Morocco is a Hollywood Set
Quarzazate, Morocco, Dec 29 (Prensa Latina)

Alfred Hitchcock filmed "The Man Who Knew Too Much" here with actors James Stewart and Doris Day in 1955 and since then, this Moroccan city has become one of Hollywood´s sets. However, the epic movie "Lawrence of Arabia", directed by David Lean in which Marlon Brandon refused to play, was what really catapulted this desert local to fame. The town, very near the Atlas Mountains, is authentic and counts on a beautiful landscape, great light, and people willing to work as extras for very low salaries, where bureaucracy does not hamper filming work.
Other important full-length movies filmed in Quarzazate are "Jesus of Nazareth" (1977), "The Jewel of the Nile" (1985), "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988), "The Mummy" (1999), and "Gladiator" (2000) among others. "Babel", directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, and "The Ten Commandments" by Robert Dornhelm with Omar Sharif, Dougray Scott and Mia Maestro in the main roles, were similarly filmed in this region and set for 2006, premieres eagerly awaited by film lovers.
http://www.plenglish.com/Article.asp?ID=%7BD77F3C81-E3A7-4E11-88F6-E876321CDE0B%7D&language=EN  
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